Sealed can



ci., 24, 1933. H. sEBELL SEALED CA N Fle'd June 9. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Hurry Sebel Oct, 24, 1933. H. SEBELL. 1,932,233

SEALED CAN Filed June 9. 1951 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenon H Harry SebeH bww# MW s Ays.

Patented Oct. 24, 1933 UNITED STATES' SEALED CAN Harry Sebell, Boston, Mass., assignor of one-half to Arthur H. Parker, Lexington, Mass.

Application June 9, 1931. Serial No. 543,044

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a sealed can of that type in which the can body is formed with a bead at its upper end and the can cover has a frictional engagement with both the inside and the outside of the bead.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel can of this type in which the can body is provided with a neck portion of reduced diameter on which is formed the bead with which the cover has double frictional engagement, said neck portion providing the can with an exterior shoulder situated below and spaced from the lower edge of the skirt portion of the cover and which provides a shoulder against which a suitable implement may be fulcrumed for prying the cover off the can.

Other objects of the invention are to provide novel means for interlocking the cover to the bead after the cover has been applied to the can.

A further object of the invention isl to provide a novel can construction according to which the cover may be readily replaced on the can after it has been once removed and when so replaced will t the can with a tight joint.

Other objects of the invention are to improve sealed cans in various ways which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings some selected embodiments thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a sealed can embodying my invention, the section through the can being taken on the line 1 1, Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the cover prior to its being applied to the can;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the completed can body with the cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the cover placed on the can but before being subjected to the progressive rolling pressure;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the portion of the cover which encircles the bead of the can being subjected to the rolling pressure;

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are fragmentary sectional views showing different embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a view illustrating the operation of applying the progressive pressure to the can cover.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, 1 indicates generally the can body and 2 is the cover for sealing the can. The can body comprises the body (Cl. B20-59) section 3 and the neck section 4. These two sections are made separately and are then rigidly connected together to form the complete can body 1. Said sections may be united in any appropriate way by which a tight joint can be made between them. One convenient way of connecting the body section and neck section is by soldering them together.

The neck section 4 is designed to receive the cover 2 and the portion of the neck section to which the cover is applied is smaller in diameter than the body section 3 and has such a construction that when the two sections are assembled to form the completed can body l the latter will be provided with the upwardly-facing shoulder 5. The upper edge of the neck section 4 is bent inwardly and then downwardly thereby to form an interior bead.

In thus making the bead the upper edge of the neck section may be either bent inwardly and then downwardly at right angles as shown in Fig. 11 or may be bent inwardly and downwardly on a curve to make a rounded bead as shown in Figs. l to 9. The curved or rounded bead is indicated'at 6 and the square cornered bead at 60.

The neck portion 4 is also formed with the cylindrical upstanding portion '7 which is of a smaller diameter than the body 3 of the can and with the laterallyand outwardly-extending portion 8 which provides the shoulder 5.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the body portion 3 of the can is bent inwardly at its upper end as shown at 9 to form a seat on which the part 8 of the neck section rests and said neck section is also formed with the downwardlydirected skirt portion 10 which encircles the outside of the can body 3. This neck section 4 is soldered or otherwise rigidly secured to the body portion 3 thereby to make the can body 1, and, when completed, said can body has the upstanding neck portion 7 of smaller diameter than the main body of the can and it also has the upwardly-facing shoulder 5 below the portion 7.

In the construction shown in Figs. l to 5 the upper edge of the main portion 3 of the body is not only bent inwardly to form the seat 9 but is bent downwardly as shown-at 1l to form a sort of fillet which lls the corner caused by the inwardly-bent portion 9 of the can. The advantage of this construction is that when a can is emptied, the contents will be readily drained therefrom and none will be caught or retained on the internal shoulder which would be formed provided the fillet 11 was not used.

The cover 2 has a sunken center portion 12 and is fed with the up curb 13 which frlctionally nts the interior of the bead 6 and is t: formed with the skirt portion la which frictio nts the outside of the upstanding portion 7 of the neck thereby providing a double frlctional engagement for the cover.

45 indicates some suitable sealing material which may be placed in the ve of the cover when the latter is applied to the can thereby to assist in producing a tightly sealed can.

When the cover is applied to the can as shown in Fig. 1 the lower edge of the skirt portion 4 thereof, which will preferably be turned back on itself to provide the bead 15, will be situated slightly above the upwardly-facing shoulder thereby leaving a space 16 between said shoulder and the bead into which a screw driver or any other suitable implement may be inserted for prying the cover on from the can. y

An. advantage of this construction wherein the can has a reduced neck portion is that the bead 15 of the cover has no greater diameter than that of the can body and hence said bead lies within the confines of the body and does not form a rib or projection which extends beyond the side walls of the body.

Another feature of my invention relates to a novel means of interlocking the cover to the bead 6 after the cover has been applied. One way of accomplishing this is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. In accordance with this embodiment the bead 6 of the neck portion 4 is formed with a plurality of protuberances 17 which are situated near the top thereof and which project slightly outwardly and upwardly. These protuberances may conveniently be formed by deforming the metal of the neck portion as shown in Fig. 3. The cover 2 is formed with an annular internal groove 18 at the upper end of the skirt portion 14, said groove being designed to receive the protuberances 17.

In sealing the can the sealing -material 15 will be applied to the can cover as shown and then `said cover will be forced onto the upstanding portion 7 of the neck section as shown in Fig. 4. When thus applied the sealing material 15 is closely confined between the bead and the portion 19 of the cover. After the parts have thus been assembled the portion 19 of the cover which encircles the bead 6 is subjected to a progressive rolling pressure. This may be accomplished by applying one or more presser rolls 20 to the portion 19 of the can and causing said rolls to travel around said portion 19 oi the can cover. This operation of applying the progressive rolling pressure to the can cover is illustrated in Figs. 5 and l0.

indicates a rotatable chuck member which ts into the upstanding curb 13 of the cover and frictionally engages said cover, said chuck constituting means for rotating the can. It will be understood, of course, that during this operation the can is suitably supported on a turntable. During this rotating of the can the portion 19 of the can cover is subjected to rolling pressure by means of presser rolls 20 which may be mounted in any suitable support 31.

The pressure of these rolls not only causes the portion 19 of the cover to conform accurately to the surface of the bead 6 but it also iiattens the part of the cover in which the groove 18 is formed and squeezes the side walls of the groove firmly against the protuberances 17. In fact, during this progressive rolling pressure both the -applied to the can.

grooved portion of the can cover and the protuberances 17 may be deformed ,or flattened slightly thus augmenting the interlocking connection between the cover and the bead 6. By reason of the progressive rolling pressure which causes the portion 19 of the cover to conform accurately to the exterior surface of the bead and by further reason of the double frictional engagement between the cover and the bead a tight seal will be produced which will withstand both pressure and vacuum conditions and one which is admirably adapted for sealing containers containing food products or other contents where a tight and hermetic seal is required.

The interlock which is provided between the cover and the can, however, does not prevent the cover from being readilyAremoved, which can be easily accomplished by prying the cover 'off from the can by means of a suitable implement placed between the shoulder 5 and the 95 bead 15 of the cover.

In the device above described the interlocking between the bead and the cover occurs on the outside of the bead. In Fig. 9 I have shown a construction wherein this interlocking is on the inside of the bead. In accordance with this construction the bead 6 of the neck portion is made without the protuberances 17 and the cover is made without the groove 18.

After the cam has been forced onto the upstanding portion 7 of the neck the portion 32 of the cover which encircles the bead is subjected to the progressive rolling pressure as above described. During this operation said portion 32 of the cover will be forced firmly against the bead 6 and made to conform accurately to said bead. While this rolling pressure i s in prog-p ress the chuck 30 will be at a fixed distance from the rotatable turntable on which the can is supported and the application of the rolling pressure to the portion 32 of the cover has a tendency to force the upstanding curb portion 13 of the cover downwardly slightly. Immediately after this progressive rolling pressure has been applied the upstanding curb 13 of the cover is deformed at spaced intervals by pressing it outwardly slightly underneath and in engagement with the bead 9 as shown by dotted lines 21 in Fig. 9. This deformation 21 does not extend clear around the curb 13 but is only located at spaced intervals. By thus deforming the curb 13 to flt tightly against the under side of the bead the cover will be interlocked to the bead so as to retain the tight joint between the portion 19 of the cover and the bead which is 130 made by the progressive rolling pressure.

In both forms of the invention, therefore, the

. cover is deformed and thus caused to be interlocked with the bead after the cover has been In other words, the interlocking of the cover and can is performed while the cover is in situ.

This manner of making the can has further advantages in connection with a can having a double lock seam at the bottom. A can having such a double lock seam will be formed with a rib around its bottom within which is a recess.

By making the can with the reduced neck as best shown the covered top of one can will fit within the recess in the bottom of another can so that when cans are stacked one on the other the stacked cans will have a suiiicient interlocking engagement to hold them in place.

In Figs. 6 to 8 I have shown some diierent Ways I in which the neck section 4 may be secured to 150 this embodiment the neck section does not have the depending skirt which surrounds the upper edge of the body section. In Fig. 7 a construction is shown wherein the neck section 4b has the laterally-extending portion 8b which iits underneath an inwardly-directed ilange 24 of the body section 3, said portions 8b and 24 being suitably soldered together. 1n this embodiment the neck section 4b also has the downwardly-directed part 26 fitting the inside of the wall of the can body.

This way of making the can body with the reduced neck by using a separate part for the neck which is secured to the body section of the can is of special advantage in connection with a can having relatively thin walls. By this means the desirable relatively square shoulder 5 is provided without danger of causing any leakage due to cracking or breaking of the metal of the can body as might occur if the shoulder were formed directly in the body portion oi.' the can. Furthermore, the bOdy section 3 and the neck section 4 of the can together provide a reinforcement of the can body at the shoulder which produces added strength at this point.

I claim:

1. A can comprising a body section, a neck section separate from but secured to the body section and extending horizontally Ainwardly over the edge of said body section and having an upstanding portion of a diameter less than that of the body section thereby providing an exterior upwardly-facing shoulder at the base of the neck section, said neck section having an inwardly extending bead at its upper edge, a cover member having an upstanding curb frictionally iltting the inside of the bead-and merging into a depending skirt frictionally iltting the exterior o! the neck section in a curve adapted to be deformed after the cover is applied to increase the frictional engagement of the skirt and curb of the cover with the neck and its bead.

2. A can comprising a body section, a neck section separate from but secured to the body section and extending horizontally inwardly over the edge of said body section and having an upstanding portion of a diameter less than that of the body section thereby providing an exterior upwardly-facing shoulder at the base of the neck section, said neck section having a bead at its upper edge, a cover member having an upstanding curb frictionally iittingv the inside of the bead and a depending skirt frictionally ntting the exterior of the neck section, said cover vand neck bead having interlocking deformations.

3. A can body comprising a body section having its upper edge turned inwardlyto present a fiat seat portion, a neck section of smaller diameter than the body portion. said neck section having at its upper end an internal bead and at its lower end an outwardly-directed ange resting on and secured to the seat portion, whereby there is formed an upwardly-facing shoulder, and a cover having a skirt portion surrounding and frictionally tting the neck section and a curb tting within said neck-bead, the lower edge of the skirt of the cover terminating slightly above said shoulder.

4. A can comprising a body section having its upper edge horizontally turned inwardly to form a flat annular seat portion and then bent downwardly and outwardly into engagement with the side of the body section, and a neck section separate from the body section and having a diameter less than said body section, said neck section having an outwardly-extending ilange' which rests on and is secured to said seat, whereby the can is formed with an upwardly-facing shoulder.

5. A can comprising a body section having its upper edge turned inwardly to form a iiat annular seat portion and then bent downwardly into engagement with the side of the body section, and a neck section separate from the body section and having a diameter less than said body section, said neck section having an outwardlyextending flange which rests on and is secured to said seat, whereby the can is formed with an upwardly-facing shoulder, said neck section having a bead at its upper edge, a cover having a curb portion frictionally iltting the inside oi.' the bead and-a skirt portion frictionally fitting the outside of the neck connected to said curb portion by a curved portion adapted to be distorted when the cover is assembled on the can to increase the frictional engagement of the cover with said neck and bead, said skirt portion terminating slightly above the shoulder.

6. A can comprising a can body having a bead at its upper edge, said bead being formed on its outer periphery with a plurality of protuberances extending outwardly from its upper portion, a cover having a curb portion frictionally iltting within the bead and a skirt portion encircling and frictionally iltting the exterior of the neck section and connected by a curved portion to said curb portion, said cover having a groove to `receive the protuberances when said cover is in place.

7. A can comprising a body section, a neck section separate from but secured to the body section and having a diameter less than that of the body sectionthereby providing an exterior upwardly-facing shoulder at the base of the neck section, the upper edge of the neck section which surrounds the opening o1' the can being bent inwardly and then downwardly, a cover member having an upstanding curb iitting said opening and frictionally iltting the downwardlybent portion of the neck section, said cover member also having a depending skirt frictionally fitting the exterior of the neck portion, said cover and neck section being interlocked by a deformation oi! one of said parts made after the. cover is in place.

HARRY SEBELL. 

